Systems and methods for setting a rate limit for a computing device

ABSTRACT

In some embodiments, an amount of aggregated bandwidth consumption for a set of computing devices on a network may be determined for a first time period. An amount of available bandwidth on the network may be determined for the first time period. A ratio of the amount of aggregated bandwidth consumption to the amount of available bandwidth may be determined. A bandwidth threshold may be determined based on the ratio. A rate limit for a first computing device (of the set of computing devices) may be set based on a comparison of the bandwidth threshold to bandwidth consumption of the first computing device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/055,996, filed on Aug. 6, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/719,533, filed on Sep. 28, 2017, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/829,073, filed onMar. 14, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/623,843, entitled “DYNAMIC BANDWIDTH ALLOCATION FOROPTIMIZING NETWORK UTILIZATION”, filed on Apr. 13, 2012, each of whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Multiple applications that run on and/or are connected to a networkfrequently share a common connection to the Internet. Because theInternet Protocol or similar messaging or signaling system (e.g.,Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)) seeks to send data through anetwork at a maximum rate, the multiple applications can compete for thelimited Internet connection bandwidth. This competition can result indropped data packets. This can lead to latency and/or slower transferrates for users. As the number of users and/or applications sharing thenetwork connection increases, this competition results in increasinglyslower data transfer and/or poor user experience.

Some known data networks tend to treat Internet Protocol (IP) trafficequally on a first-come, first-served basis, even though trafficgenerated by different applications may have different characteristics.Users have different expectations for speed, latency and reliabilitydepending on the application in use. For example, users of a computedevice downloading a compact disk or other disk image such as ISO image,uploading a website for deployment or engaging in peer-to-peer filesharing expect a substantial time period to accomplish the datatransfer. On the other hand, users of a compute device checking e-mailor viewing websites transfer data in short, relatively infrequentbursts, and expect a more interactive experience. Because the datatransferred by IP is given equal priority, users running applicationscharacterized by short bursts of interactive traffic are adverselyaffected by applications characterized by bulk transfers ofnon-interactive data.

Some known commercially available bandwidth management tools allow forthe arbitrary restriction of bandwidth consumption imposed upon eachuser. This solution merely inhibits individual users to an assignedbandwidth limit. This static solution does not adapt bandwidthallocation per users' consumption requirements at a given time relativeto other users' consumption. In other words, each user suffersrestricted bandwidth, regardless of current network capacity or relativepriority among users and applications.

Therefore, a need exists for dynamic bandwidth allocation andoptimization based on relative requirements at a given time.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, an amount of aggregated bandwidth consumption for aset of computing devices on a network may be determined for a first timeperiod. An amount of available bandwidth on the network may bedetermined for the first time period. A ratio of the amount ofaggregated bandwidth consumption to the amount of available bandwidthmay be determined. A bandwidth threshold may be determined based on theratio. A rate limit for a first computing device (of the set ofcomputing devices) may be dynamically set based on a comparison of thebandwidth threshold to bandwidth consumption of the first computingdevice.

In some embodiments, an amount of aggregated bandwidth consumption for aset of computing devices on a network may be determined. An amount ofavailable bandwidth on the network may be determined. A ratio of theamount of aggregated bandwidth consumption to the amount of availablebandwidth may be determined. A bandwidth threshold may be determinedbased on the ratio. First bandwidth consumption of a first computingdevice (of the set of computing devices) that is measured for a firsttime period may be determined. Second bandwidth consumption of the firstcomputing device that is measured for a second time period (of differentlength than the first time period) may be determined. A rate limit forthe first computing device may be dynamically set based on a comparisonof the bandwidth threshold to at least one of the first bandwidthconsumption or the second bandwidth consumption.

In some embodiments, an amount of aggregated bandwidth consumption for aset of computing devices on a network may be determined for a first timeperiod. An amount of available bandwidth on the network may bedetermined for the first time period. A ratio of the amount ofaggregated bandwidth consumption to the amount of available bandwidthmay be determined. A bandwidth threshold may be determined based on theratio. A first computing device of the set of computing devices may beclassified based on a comparison of the bandwidth threshold to bandwidthconsumption of the first computing device. A rate limit for a firstcomputing device of the set of computing devices may be dynamically setbased on the classification of the first computing device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a computer system in whichdynamic bandwidth allocation can be performed, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a bandwidth allocation platform,according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 3-5 are flowcharts of processes for providing dynamic bandwidth,according to various embodiments.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram of dynamic bandwidth allocation,according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a threshold calculationmodule implemented in at least one of a memory or a processing device, ause identification module operatively coupled to the thresholdcalculation module, and a rate limiting module operatively coupled tothe use identification module. The threshold calculation module isconfigured to receive at a time a datum associated with use of a networkby a set of compute devices using the network. The threshold calculationmodule is also configured to calculate a threshold value based, at leastin part, on the datum and a bandwidth capacity of the network at thetime. The use identification module is configured to receive thethreshold value from the threshold calculation module. The useidentification module is also configured to receive a usage valueassociated with bandwidth use of a compute device from the set ofcompute devices and associated with a time period immediately precedingthe time. The use identification module is further configured to comparethe usage value with the threshold value to determine a usage categoryassociated with the compute device. The rate limiting module isconfigured to receive an indication of the usage category from the useidentification module. The rate limiting module is also configured tolimit bandwidth use of the network for the compute device based on theindication.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory processor-readable medium storescode that represents instructions to be executed by a processor. Thecode includes code to cause the processor to receive, at a time, asignal associated with use of a network by a compute device associatedwith a user. The code also includes code to cause the processor tocalculate a first usage value based, at least in part, on the signalassociated with use of the network. The first usage value is associatedwith bandwidth use (1) of the user for a first time period immediatelypreceding the time and (2) associated with the network. The code furtherincludes code to cause the processor to calculate a second usage valuebased, at least in part, on the signal associated with use of thenetwork. The second usage value is associated with bandwidth use (1) ofthe user for a second time period immediately preceding the time and (2)associated with the network. The first time period, is different fromthe second time period. The code further includes code to cause theprocessor to compare the first usage value and the second usage valuewith a value of a threshold associated with usage of the network at thetime to determine a usage category associated with the user. The codealso includes code to cause the processor to send a signal to limitbandwidth use of the user in the network for a time period after thetime based, at least in part, on the usage category.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory processor-readable medium storescode that represents instructions to be executed by a processor. Thecode includes code to cause the processor to receive, at a first time, afirst datum associated with use of a network by a set of compute devicesusing the network. The code also includes code to cause the processor tocalculate a first threshold value based, at least in part, on the firstdatum and a bandwidth capacity of the network at the first time. Thecode further includes code to cause the processor to receive a firstusage value associated with bandwidth use of the network of a computedevice from the set of compute devices for a time period immediatelypreceding the first time. The code further includes code to cause theprocessor to send, at a second time after the first time, a signal tolimit bandwidth use in the network of the compute device based, at leastin part, on the first threshold and the first usage value. The code alsoincludes code to cause the processor to receive, at a third time afterthe second time, a second datum associated with use of the network bythe set of compute devices using the network. The code also includescode to cause the processor to calculate a second threshold value based,at least in part, on the second datum and a bandwidth capacity of thenetwork at the third time. The second threshold is different from thefirst threshold. The code further includes code to cause the processorto receive a second usage value associated with bandwidth use of thenetwork of the compute device for a time period immediately precedingthe third time. The second usage value is substantially equal to thefirst usage value. Because the threshold has decreased, the bandwidthuse of the compute device for the time period immediately preceding thethird time is no longer deemed to be excessive and/or offending. Thecode also includes code to cause the processor to send, at a fourth timeafter the third time, a signal to not limit bandwidth use in the networkof the compute device based, at least in part, on the second thresholdand the second usage value.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, forexample, the term “a compute device” is intended to mean a singlecompute device or a combination of compute devices (e.g., mobile deviceswith access to a certain network, etc.).

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a computer system in whichdynamic bandwidth allocation can be performed, according to anembodiment. The computer network system 100 includes at least onecompute device 101 a-101 n, a bandwidth management platform 103, and atleast one gateway device 109, which can be operatively coupled to one ormore compute devices 101 a-101 n or other gateway devices 109 via acommunication network 105. Note that while the bandwidth managementplatform 103 is shown in FIG. 1 as being within the gateway device 109,in other embodiments, the bandwidth management platform (or a portionthereof) can be operatively coupled to the gateway device 109 via thecommunication network 105 and/or the Local Area Network 107. Any of thedevices or platforms of the computer network system 100 can be equippedwith local memory/storage spaces (shown as memory 121 a-121 n and memory125 in FIG. 1). Furthermore, the devices and platforms of the system 100may have access to centralized or distributed memory/storage spaces (notshown in FIG. 1) through the communication network 105. Additionally, acompute device 101 a-101 n and a gateway device 109 each can include oneor more processors, performing processes associated with the servicesprovided to the compute devices 101 a-101 n (shown as processors 119a-119 n and processor 123 in FIG. 1). For example, the bandwidthmanagement platform 103 can be stored in the memory 125 and executed atthe processor 123, as described in further detail herein. Thus, FIG. 1is merely an example illustrating the types of devices and platformsthat can be included within a computer network system 100.

In some embodiments, the gateway device 109 can be in communication withany number of compute devices 101 a-101 n via a Local Area Network (LAN)107. In such embodiments, the gateway device 109 can further beconfigured to communicate with a wide area network (WAN) or the Internet(shown as the communication network 105). The gateway device 109 canfacilitate communication between the compute devices 101 a-101 n and/orany other compute device with LAN 107, with any compute device 130(e.g., personal computers, mobile devices, web servers, file serversand/or the like) operatively coupled to the gateway 109 via thecommunication network 105. The bandwidth management platform 103 canallocate bandwidth to the compute devices 101 a-101 n via the gatewaydevice 109, based on bandwidth characteristics further described hereinwith respect to FIG. 2.

Communication network 105 can be any communication network, such as theInternet, operatively and communicatively coupling the compute device101 a-101 n and/or the gateway device 109 with another compute device130 (e.g., personal computers, mobile devices, web servers, file serversand/or the like). Communication network 105 can be any network orcombination of networks capable of transmitting information (e.g., dataand/or signals) and can include, for example, a telephone network, anEthernet network, a fiber-optic network, a wireless network, a cellularnetwork and/or the like.

In some instances, communication network 105 and/or LAN 107 can includemultiple networks operatively coupled to one another by, for example,network bridges, routers, switches and/or gateways. For example, thecompute device 101 a-101 n can be operatively coupled to a cellularnetwork; and the gateway device 109 and/or the bandwidth managementplatform 103 can be operatively coupled to a fiber-optic network. Thecellular network and fiber-optic network can each be operatively coupledto one another via one or more network bridges, routers, switches,and/or gateways such that the cellular network and the fiber-opticnetwork are operatively coupled to form a communication network.Alternatively, the cellular network and fiber-optic network can each beoperatively coupled to one another via one or more additional networks.For example, the cellular network and the fiber-optic network can eachbe operatively coupled to the Internet such that the cellular network,the fiber-optic network and the Internet are operatively coupled to forma communication network.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the compute device 101 a-101 n is operativelycoupled to communication network 105 via LAN 107 and networkconnection(s) 111 and 113; gateway device 109 is operatively coupled tocommunication network 105 via network connection(s) 117; and the computedevice 130 is operatively coupled to communication network 105 vianetwork connection(s) 115. Network connections 111, 113, 115, and 117can be any appropriate network connection for operatively couplingcompute device 101 a-101 n, gateway device 109, and the compute device130.

A network connection can be a wireless network connection such as, forexample, a wireless fidelity (“Wi-Fi”) or wireless local area network(“WLAN”) connection, a wireless wide area network (“WWAN”) connection, aVirtual Private Network (VPN), and/or a cellular connection. A networkconnection can be a wired connection such as, for example, an Ethernetconnection, a digital subscriber line (“DSL”) connection, a broadbandcoaxial connection, and/or a fiber-optic connection.

As mentioned above, in some instances, a computer network system 100 caninclude more than one compute device 101 a-101 n, more than onebandwidth management platforms 103, and more than one gateway device109. A compute device 101 a-101 n, a bandwidth management platform 103,a gateway device 109, and/or compute device 130 can be operativelycoupled to LAN 107 and/or the communication network 105 by heterogeneousnetwork connections. For example, a first compute device 101 a-101 n canbe operatively coupled to LAN 107 and/or the communication network 105by a WWAN network connection, another compute device 101 a-101 n can beoperatively coupled to LAN 107 and/or the communication network 105 by aDSL network connection, and a compute device 130 can be operativelycoupled to the communication network 105 by a fiber-optic networkconnection. The gateway device 109 can be, for example, an access pointconfigured to provide access to the communication network 105 for thecompute device 101 a-101 n via LAN 107.

In some embodiments, the gateway device 109 can include a set of modules(e.g., the bandwidth management platform 103) configured to perform aset of tasks. The modules can be software modules (c. g., stored inmemory and executed by a processor), hardware modules, and/or anycombination thereof. Such modules can include, for example, thebandwidth management platform 103 and its associated modules (as shownin FIG. 2), a module used to convert a data packet from a format of theLAN 107 to a format of the communication network 105 and vice versa,and/or the like. Additionally, because the gateway device 109 includes amodule used to convert a data packet from a LAN 107 to a format of thecommunication network 105 (and vice versa), in some embodiments, thegateway device 109 can have a first interface operatively coupled to theLAN 107 using a first network medium and/or employing a first messagetransport type or protocol and a second interface operatively coupled tothe communication network 105 using a second network medium and/oremploying a second message transport type or protocol. In otherembodiments, the LAN 107 and the gateway device 109 can use a commonnetwork medium and/or message transport type.

The compute devices 101 a-101 n can be any of a variety of computedevices that can be operatively coupled to communication network 105. Acompute device 101 a-101 n can be, for example, a personal computer, atablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellulartelephone, a Television, a portable/mobile internet device, a networkenabled sensor (e.g., thermostat), a group of computing devices,servers, and/or any other device or group of devices capable of sendingand/or receiving communication signals via a network. In someembodiments, the compute device 101 a-101 n can include a web browserconfigured to access a webpage or website accessible via the gatewaydevice 109 over communication network 105. The compute device 101 a-101n can be configured to support, for example, HTML using JavaScript. Forexample, the compute device 101 a-101 n can include a web browser, suchas, Firefox, Safari, Dolphin, Opera and Chrome. An Internet page orwebsite (e.g., hosted by compute device 130) can be accessed by a userof a web browser at a compute device 101 a-101 n by providing the webbrowser with a reference such as a uniform resource locator (URL), forexample, of a webpage. For example, a user of a compute device 101 a-101n can access the compute device 130 via the gateway device 109 using aURL designated for the compute device 130. In some instances, computedevice 101 a-101 n can include specialized software for accessing aserver (e.g., compute device 130) connected to the communication network105 other than a browser, such as, for example, a specializednetwork-enabled application or program (e.g., FTP program, peer-to-peerfile sharing software, online chat software, etc.).

A compute device 101 a-101 n can also include a display, monitor or userinterface (not shown in FIG. 1), a keyboard, various ports (e.g., a USBport), and other user interface features, such as, for example, digitalpens, mice, touch screen controls, audio components, and/or videocomponents (each not shown). A compute device 101 a-101 n can beoperatively coupled to communication network 105 via a user interfaceand network connections 111 and 113.

The memory 121 a-121 n of the compute device 101 a-101 n can be, forexample, a random access memory (RAM), a memory buffer, a hard drive, aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory(EPROM), and/or so forth. In some embodiments, the memory 121 a-121 n ofthe compute device 101 a-101 n stores instructions to cause theprocessor 119 a-119 n to execute modules, processes, and/or functionsassociated with using a personal computer application, a mobileapplication, an internet web browser, a peer-to-peer network or fileshare, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the memory 121 a-121 nstores instructions to cause the processor 119 a-119 n to send signalinformation to a display (not shown in FIG. 1).

The processor 119 a-119 n of the compute device 101 a-101 n can be anysuitable processing device configured to run and/or execute a set ofinstructions or code. For example, the processor 119 a-119 n can be ageneral purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), anaccelerated processing unit (APU), and/or the like. As described above,the processor 119 a-119 n can be configured to run and/or execute a setof instructions or code stored in the memory 121 a-121 n associated withusing a personal computer application, mobile application, an internetweb browser, and/or the like. Additionally, in some embodiments, theprocessor 119 a-119 n can run and/or execute a set of instructionsassociated with sending and/or receiving information to a server via thegateway device 109.

The compute device 101 a-101 n can include a network interface (notshown in FIG. 1). The network interface can be any suitable networkinterface configured to communicate with a LAN 107 and/or acommunication network 105. For example, the network interface can be anetwork card configured to communicate with LAN 107 and/or thecommunication network 105 via a wired or wireless connection.

In some embodiments, the gateway device 109 can function as, forexample, a network management device. The memory 125 included in thegateway device 109 can be, for example, a random access memory (RAM), amemory buffer, a hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), and/or so forth. In someembodiments, the memory 125 of the gateway device 109 includes a set ofinstructions executed by the processor 123, provided by the bandwidthmanagement platform 103, to allocate a given amount of network bandwidthfor use by the compute device 101 a-101 n. In some embodiments, thegateway device 109 can operatively couple the compute devices 101 a-101n associated with the LAN 107 to the communication network 105.

The processor 123 can be any suitable processor such as, for example, ageneral purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a networkprocessor, a front end processor, and/or the like. As such, theprocessor 123 is configured to perform a set of instructions stored inthe memory 125.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a bandwidth management platform200, according to an embodiment. The bandwidth management platform 200can be structurally and/or functionally similar to the bandwidthmanagement platform 103 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the bandwidthmanagement platform 200 can include a monitor module 201, a thresholdcalculation module 203, a use calculation module 205, a useidentification module 207, a rate limiting module 209, and a data store213. Furthermore, the bandwidth management platform 200 can communicatewith other components of a computer network system (e.g., computernetwork system 100 of FIG. 1) via input signals 215 and output signals217.

In various instances, the bandwidth management platform 200 and itscomponents may be located anywhere within a communication network system100 including, but not limited to, within the gateway device 109, or inseparate locations within the communication network system 100 of FIG.1.

As used herein, a module can be, for example, any assembly and/or set ofoperatively-coupled electrical components, and can include, for example,a memory, a processor, electrical traces, optical connectors, software(executing or to be executed in hardware) and/or the like. Furthermore,a module can be capable of performing one or more specific functionsassociated with the module, as discussed further below.

The bandwidth management platform 200 can provide bandwidth managementfor compute devices (e.g., compute devices 101 a-101 n of FIG. 1). Insome embodiments, the bandwidth management platform 200 can beconfigured to communicate with the communication network 105 and canreceive a signal from the compute devices 101 a-101 n, from the gatewaydevice 109, and/or any other device(s) in communication with thecommunication network 105 associated with a given network orcommunication protocol (e.g., Internet Protocol or a similar messagingor signaling system, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User DatagramProtocol (UDP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Simple Mail TransferProtocol (SMTP), Hyper Text Transmission Protocol (HTTP), InternetMessage Access Protocol (IMAP), Peer Distributed Transfer Protocol(PDTP), BitTorrent, and/or the like).

The data store 213 can be, for example, a random access memory (RAM), amemory buffer, a hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), a database and/or so forth. Insome embodiments, the data store 213 can store data associated withbandwidth use of the compute devices 101 a-101 n and/or data from theother portions of the bandwidth management platform 103, as described infurther detail herein.

In some embodiments, the monitor module 201 monitors network trafficbetween the LAN 107 and the communication network 105 (e.g., electronicsignals associated with any of the aforementioned protocols) through,for example, an Internet gateway. In such embodiments, the monitormodule 201 can periodically monitor a user's activities regardingbandwidth consumption. For example, the monitor module 201 can monitornetwork traffic (e.g., data packets) that passes through the gatewaydevice 109 (e.g., between a compute device 101 a-101 n and thecommunication network 105). The monitor module can then classify thisdata based on the source and/or destination compute device 101 a-101 nof that data packet. In such a manner the monitor module 201 candetermine bandwidth consumption of the link 117 (between the gatewaydevice 109 and the communication network 105) on a per compute device101 a-101 n basis. In some embodiments, the monitor module 201 monitorsand/or stores (e.g., in data store 213) a transient record to trackmetrics for a user of a compute device 101 a-101 n. This record can beretained in the data store 213 for the duration of the session of theuser and can be discarded when the user's access and/or session isterminated. Similarly, in some embodiments, the gateway device 109 canmonitor and/or determine bandwidth consumption of the link 113 (betweenthe gateway device 109 and the LAN 107) on a per compute device 101a-101 n basis.

In some embodiments, the monitor module 201 can also monitor, collectand/or receive information associated with a total amount of bandwidthavailable between the compute devices 101 a-101 n and the communicationnetwork 105. For example, the monitor module 201 can receive and/orcompute information associated with a maximum amount of availablebandwidth for a given time period (e.g., one hour). Similarly stated,the monitor module 201 can determine an amount of bandwidth the computedevices 101 a-101 n can collectively use to access the communicationnetwork 105.

In some embodiments, the monitor module 201 can store the monitoredand/or collected data in the data store 213. For example, the monitormodule 201 can send a signal to the data store 213 to store a maximumavailable bandwidth value. Additionally, the monitor module can send asignal to the data store 213 to store data associated with the bandwidthused by each compute device 101 a-101 n, groups and/or categories ofcompute devices 101 a-101 n, and/or the like. In other embodiments, themonitor module 201 can also provide this data to one or more of theother modules within the bandwidth management platform 200.

In some embodiments, the threshold calculation module 203 can calculateone or more bandwidth usage thresholds that can be used to limit thebandwidth of specific compute devices 101 a-101 n, as described infurther detail herein. Specifically, the threshold calculation module203 can receive the data associated with an available bandwidth for thecompute devices 101 a-101 n from the monitor module 201 and/or from thedata store 213. Additionally, the threshold calculation module 203 canreceive an indication of an amount of the available bandwidth beingcollectively used by the compute devices 101 a-101 n for a specific timeperiod from the monitor module 201 and/or from the data store 213. Insome embodiments, the threshold calculation module 203 can also receivedata associated with a number of compute devices 101 a-101 n accessingthe communication network 105 via the gateway device 109, a number ofcompute devices 101 a-101 n classified in a specific usage category (asdescribed in further detail herein), a number of compute devices 101a-101 n currently being rate limited, a percentage of bandwidth used bycompute devices 101 a-101 n classified in one or more usage categories,a priority associated with a compute device 101 a-101 n (as described infurther detail herein), and/or the like.

Based on the received data, the threshold calculation module 203 cancalculate one or more thresholds based on the received data. In someembodiments, for example, the threshold calculation module 203 cancalculate an upper threshold and/or a lower threshold. In someembodiments, the upper threshold can be calculated based on a percentageof total bandwidth used by the compute devices 101 a-101 n classified ina fourth category (as described in further detail herein). In such amanner, the threshold calculation module 203 can calculate the upperthreshold such that a percentage (e.g., 30%, 50%, 70%, etc.) of totalbandwidth can be allocated to the compute devices 101 a-101 n classifiedin the fourth category, as described in further detail herein.

In some embodiments, the lower threshold can be calculated as apercentage of the upper threshold (e.g., 33%). In other embodiments thethreshold calculation module 203 can calculate the upper thresholdand/or the lower threshold using data associated with a number ofcompute devices 101 a-101 n accessing the communication network 105 viathe gateway device 109, a number of compute devices 101 a-101 nclassified in a specific usage category (as further described in detailherein), a number of compute devices 101 a-101 n currently being ratelimited, a percentage of bandwidth used by compute devices 101 a-101 nclassified in one or more usage categories, a previous threshold, and/orthe like. In some embodiments, the threshold calculation module 203 canstore the threshold value(s) in the data store 213.

In some embodiments, the thresholds can deviate variably depending onthe number of compute devices 101 a-101 n that are being throttled andalso the total bandwidth capacity of the communication network 105 at agiven time, as described in further detail herein. For example, athreshold can increase when a greater number of compute devices are ratelimited. For another example, the threshold can decrease as theavailable network capacity increases.

In some embodiments, the thresholds can be periodically and/orcontinually updated. In such embodiments, the threshold calculationmodule 203 can periodically and/or continuously receive data (asdiscussed above) and can revise and/or update the threshold values. Insuch embodiments, the threshold calculation module 203 can update and/orrevise threshold values stored in data store 213.

In some embodiments, the use calculation module 205 calculatesinformation associated with bandwidth usage of the compute devices 101a-101 n. Specifically, the use calculation module 205 can receive dataassociated with bandwidth use of a compute device 101 a-101 n from themonitor module 201 and/or the data store 213. Based on the data, the usecalculation module 205 can calculate one or more usage values associatedwith the bandwidth use of the compute device 101 a-101 n. For example,the use calculation module 205 can periodically and/or continuouslycalculate an average amount of bandwidth use for a compute device 101a-101 n, based on data provided by the monitor module 201.

In some embodiments, the use calculation module 205 can periodicallyand/or continuously calculate an average amount of bandwidth use of acompute device (e.g., the compute device 101 a-101 n) for apredetermined time period (e.g., 10 seconds). In addition, a bandwidthuse for a time period can periodically and/or continuously be determinedby the use calculation module 205 for a compute device 101 a-101 n for asecond predetermined time period, less than the first predetermined timeperiod (e.g., 1 second). In some embodiments, the use calculation module205 can track bandwidth use for a specific compute device 101 a-101 nfor several rolling windows of time such as, for example, a short term(10 seconds), a medium term (1 minute), a long term (5 minutes), etc. Insome embodiments, the use calculation module 205 can store the usagevalues in the data store 213.

In some embodiments, the use calculation module 205 can aggregatemetrics collected for individual users of compute devices 101 a-101 n bythe monitor module 201. This enables the use calculation module 205 todetermine the bandwidth load at a time and to track local maximums (highwater mark) marking peak throughput on a periodic basis. Tracking thevariability of local maximums by the use calculation module 205 enablesthe bandwidth management platform 200 to estimate actual maximumbandwidth service levels permitted by the gateway device 109. The usecalculation module 205 can store the calculation results in data store213.

In some embodiments, the use identification module 207 can assign a usecategory to each compute device 101 a-101 n using the usage valuesassociated with that compute device 101 a-101 n and the thresholdvalues. The use identification module 207 can receive the usage valuesfor each compute device 101 a-101 n from the use calculation module 205and/or data store 213. Specifically, the use identification module 207can receive usage values associated with one or more time periods (e.g.,rolling windows) of bandwidth usage for each compute device 101 a-101 n(or a subset of the compute devices 101 a-101 n currently accessing thecommunication network 105).

Additionally, the use identification module 207 can receive one or morethreshold values from the threshold calculation module 203. In someembodiments, the use identification module 207 can receive, for example,an upper threshold and a lower threshold. In other embodiments, the useidentification module 207 can receive any number of threshold values.

Using the usage value(s) and the threshold value(s), the useidentification module 207 can classify the network traffic associatedwith (e.g., sent from and/or to) each compute device 101 a-101 n basedon the bandwidth usage characteristics as a function of total availablebandwidth, for example, into multiple bandwidth use categories.Similarly stated, in some embodiments, the use identification module 207can group the compute devices 101 a-101 n into multiple categories basedon the usage values associated with each compute device 101 a-101 n andthe thresholds. In some embodiments, for example, the use identificationmodule 207 can group the compute devices 101 a-101 n into fourcategories. In some embodiments, the use identification module 207 canstore an indication of a use value associated with a compute device 101a-101 n in the data store 213.

In some embodiments, a first usage category can be defined to includecompute devices 101 a-101 n that use little or no bandwidth during atime period. In some embodiments, the first usage category is associatedwith a low activity or inactive usage pattern. A compute device 101a-101 n is categorized in the first usage category when the computedevice 101 a-101 n is consuming little or no bandwidth over a period oftime. This activity type is typical of a compute device 101 a-101 n atrest but with applications periodically polling a server (e.g., computedevice 130) to check status, such as checking for new mail messages, orkeeping telnet or Secure Shell (SSH) connections alive. This usagepattern of the compute device 101 a-101 n has little impact on thecommunication network 105, but can be occasionally sensitive to delay,for example, if receiving a response at the compute device 101 a-101 nfrom an email server takes a long time.

In some embodiments, the use identification module 207 classifies acompute device 101 a-101 n in the first usage category if, for example,a usage value associated with bandwidth use for a short duration (e.g.,1 second) and a usage value associated with bandwidth use for a longduration (e.g., 1 minute) are both less than a lower thresholdcalculated by the threshold calculation module 203. Similarly stated, ifthe compute device 101 a-101 n includes a first usage value and a secondusage value less than the lower threshold, the use identification module207 can identify a use pattern of the compute device 101 a-101 n asbeing within the first usage category.

In some embodiments, a second usage category can be defined to includecompute devices 101 a-101 n that use a large amount of bandwidth for ashort period of time but use a smaller amount of bandwidth over a longerperiod of time. For example, in some embodiments, the first bandwidthusage category can include electronic devices 101 a-101 n that transmitand/or receive short, relatively infrequent bursts of data that use alarge amount of bandwidth for a short period of time. Such networktraffic can be associated with, for example, surfing the World Wide Web,clicking on links to load pages, submitting forms, checking for new orunread e-mail, downloading e-mails with small to medium sizeattachments, and/or the like. Such traffic uses a relatively highbandwidth usually for less than 10 seconds with a period of inactivitybetween bursts. This type of use is interactive, and round trip replytime is important for positive user experience. While the bandwidth usedover a period of time is low, there are periodic bursts of very highbandwidth use lasting from, for example, one second to as much as, forexample, 20 seconds.

In some embodiments, the use identification module 207 classifies acompute device 101 a-101 n in the second usage category if, for example,a usage value associated with bandwidth use for a short duration (e.g.,1 second) is greater than an upper threshold, but a usage valueassociated with bandwidth use for a long duration (e.g., 1 minute) isless than a lower threshold. Similarly stated, if the compute device 101a-101 n includes a first usage value (associated with a shortpredetermined time period) greater than an upper threshold and a secondusage value (associated with a long predetermined time period) less thanthe lower threshold, the use identification module 207 can identify ause pattern of the compute device 101 a-101 n as being within the secondusage category.

In some embodiments, a third usage category can be defined to includecompute devices 101 a-101 n that use a low to medium amount of bandwidthfor both a short period of time and over a longer period of time. Forexample, in some embodiments, the third usage category can includecompute devices 101 a-101 n that transmit and/or receive a relativelyconsistent low to medium amount of data over a long period of time. Thiscan include network traffic associated with, for example, streamingaudio and/or video, and/or using applications that have options toemploy rate-controlled upload such as, for example, Dropbox. Bandwidthuse indicative of the third usage category is relatively constant forsome period of time, but is self-limiting by its own nature. Becausemuch of this type of traffic is real-time and based on User DatagramProtocol (UDP), an application may not retry transfers and quality maysuffer as a result of dropped packets.

In some embodiments, the use identification module 207 classifies acompute device 101 a-101 n in the third usage category if, for example,both a usage value associated with bandwidth use for a short duration(e.g., 1 second) and a usage value associated with bandwidth use for alonger duration (e.g., 1 minute) are greater than a lower threshold butless than an upper threshold. Similarly stated, if the compute device101 a-101 n includes both a first usage value (associated with a shortpredetermined time period) and a second usage value (associated with along predetermined time period) greater than a lower threshold but lessthan the upper threshold, the use identification module 207 can identifya use pattern of the compute device 101 a-101 n as being within thethird usage category.

In some embodiments, a fourth usage category can be defined to includeuser devices 101 a-101 n that use a high amount of bandwidth for both ashort period of time and over a longer period of time. Such networktraffic can be associated with, for example, file transfers,peer-to-peer file sharing and/or downloading large mail attachments. Insome embodiments, such network traffic can be associated with a largeamount of data being transferred using a guaranteed protocol such as,for example, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). This type of traffictends to use available bandwidth because of the nature of the TCPrate-matching algorithm. This type of traffic is not usually interactivenor is it real-time. Instead, a large amount of data is transferred, andthe user has an expectation that data transfer will need time. Theguaranteed delivery property of TCP causes the lost packets to bere-transmitted if they are lost or delayed. This type of bandwidth usemay last from, for example, a minute to, for example, many hours untilthe transfer is completed. It takes only a few compute devices 101 a-101n using such applications to cause network congestion such that theexperience of other users is negatively affected.

In some embodiments, the use identification module 207 classifies acompute device 101 a-101 n in the fourth usage category if, for example,both a usage value associated with bandwidth use for a short duration(e.g., 1 second) and a usage value associated with bandwidth use for alonger duration (e.g., 1 minute) are greater than a lower threshold andan upper threshold. Similarly stated, if the compute device 101 a-101 nincludes both a first usage value (associated with a short predeterminedtime period) and a second usage value (associated with a longpredetermined time period) greater than both a lower threshold and anupper threshold, the use identification module 207 can identify a usepattern of the compute device 101 a-101 n as being within the fourthusage category.

While described above as classifying compute devices 101 a-101 n intofour categories based on two thresholds and two usage values, in otherembodiments, the use identification module 207 can classify a computedevice 101 a-101 n into any number of categories using any number ofthresholds and/or usage values associated with that compute device 101a-101 n.

In some embodiments, the rate limiting module 209 can limit and/orthrottle data transfer through the gateway device 109 for one or morecompute devices 101 a-101 n based on the usage category of that computedevice 101 a-101 n. Specifically, the rate limiting module 209 canreceive an indication of a use category assigned to a compute device 101a-101 n from the use identification module 207 and/or the data store213. Based on the usage category, the rate limiting module 209 can limitand/or throttle data transfer for that compute device 101 a-101 n.

In some embodiments, for example, the rate limiting module 209 can limitand/or throttle data transfer through the gateway device 109 for eachcompute device 101 a-101 n classified in the fourth usage category. Insuch embodiments, the rate limiting module 209 can allow non-ratelimited data transfer through the gateway device 109 for the computedevices 101 a-101 n classified in the first usage category, the secondusage category or the third usage category.

In this manner, the gateway device 109 can permit the network traffic ofthe first, second and third usage categories through the gateway withoutlimiting the speed of the data transfer. For example, even though thebandwidth use of the compute devices 101 a-101 n classified in thesecond usage category can be relatively high, the high bandwidth useoccurs for a short period of time with a relatively long duration oftime between bursts. Therefore, the overall impact on the network isminimal because the average bandwidth consumed over time is relativelylow. For example, the stochastic nature of web surfing is such that thebandwidth of the type of traffic associated with the second usagecategory is not limited because requests for pages are generally randomand staggered across multiple users.

In other embodiments, the rate limiting module 209 can limit and/orthrottle data transfer through the gateway device 109 for computedevices 101 a-101 n in categories other than the fourth category. Forexample, the rate limiting module 209 can limit and/or throttle dataassociated with compute devices 101 a-101 n classified in the thirdcategory as well as the fourth category. In such embodiments, the ratelimiting module 209 can limit and/or throttle data in the fourthcategory differently (e.g., at a different rate) than data in the thirdcategory.

In some embodiments, the rate limiting module 209 can dynamicallydetermine and/or calculate an amount to limit and/or throttle datatransfer through the gateway device 109 for the compute devices 101a-101 n identified and/or selected to be rate limited. Specifically, therate limiting module 209 can select a limited data transfer rate forcompute devices 101 a-101 n in specific categories based on any numberof factors, such as, for example, the total capacity of the network, thenumber of compute devices 101 a-101 n currently rate limited and/orpriorities associated with those compute devices 101 a-101 n (discussedfurther herein), the number of compute devices 101 a-101 n in eachpriority classification that are throttled, a ratio of compute devices101 a-101 n that are currently rate limited to the compute devices 101a-101 n that not currently rate limited, and/or the like.

In some embodiments, the data transfer rate for a compute device 101a-101 n that is being limited and/or throttled can be adjusted up ordown as the total network traffic changes. For example, the datatransfer rate and/or limit for compute devices 101 a-101 n classified inthe fourth usage category can increase as fewer compute devices 101a-101 n send data to the communication network 105 via the gatewaydevice 109. In some embodiments, in extreme conditions, the ratelimiting module 209 may not adjust the rate limit below a certain use(e.g., 32 Kbps upload and 64 Kbps download) even in the most direnetwork situations. If such low levels of bandwidth become chronic, itcan be a sign that the communication network 105 is oversubscribed andbandwidth service levels need to be upgraded.

In some embodiments, the rate limiting module 209 can select a datatransfer rate for a compute device 101 a-101 n that is being limitedand/or throttled based on reserving a predetermined amount of bandwidthfor compute devices 101 a-101 n classified in a particular category. Forexample, the allocated bandwidth for compute devices 101 a-101 n of thefourth category can be a predetermined percentage (e.g., between 30% and70%) of the total available bandwidth. Thus, the bandwidth for aparticular compute device 101 a-101 n in the fourth category can bedetermined based on the selected percentage and the total number ofcompute devices 101 a-101 n in the fourth category. In otherembodiments, the allocated bandwidth can be determined based, at leastin part, on the number of compute devices 101 a-101 n sending and/orreceiving packets through the gateway device 109, such that as thenumber of users increases the rate limiting module 209 allocates ahigher total bandwidth to the compute devices 101 a-101 n classified inthe fourth category.

In some embodiments, the rate limiting module 209 can send to thethreshold calculation module 203 an indication of a number of computedevices 101 a-101 n classified in a specific usage category, a number ofcompute devices 101 a-101 n currently being rate limited, a percentageof bandwidth used by compute devices 101 a-101 n classified in one ormore usage categories, and/or the like. As described above, thethreshold calculation module 203 can then recalculate the thresholdsbased on the updated data. Thus, based on the dynamic thresholds, theuse identification module 207 can classify the compute devices 101 a-101n differently as the overall conditions of the bandwidth usage throughthe gateway device 109 changes.

In some embodiments, a compute device 101 a-101 n can be assigned apriority value, which can affect the decision to rate limit that computedevice 101 a-101 n. For example, during a user authentication process,particular priorities can be defined for each user and that user'spriority value can be associated with a compute device 101 a-101 n whenthat user logs into and/or accesses the gateway device 109 via thatcompute device 101 a-101 n. A priority value can be characterized with,for example, a number 1 to n. Higher priority classifications can bereserved for compute devices 101 a-101 n and/or users that shouldreceive higher priority. For example, mission-critical systems and/orcertain users (e.g., a CEO) can be assigned a high priority setting. Thepriority setting can be used to determine the relative handling ofcompute devices 101 a-101 n by the bandwidth management platform 200. Insome embodiments, the priority assigned to a user or a compute device101 a-101 n can override the category in which the compute device 101a-101 n is classified. For example, a compute device 101 a-101 nclassified in the fourth category and with a high priority, might not berate limited based on the high priority of that compute device 101 a-101n. For another example, a high priority can decrease one or morethreshold values that will be applied to the usage value for thatcompute device 101 a-101 n. In such a manner, the compute device 101a-101 n can use a greater amount of bandwidth prior to being classifiedin the fourth category. In other embodiments, the rate limiting module209 can assign a greater percentage of the total bandwidth to use byhigher priority compute devices 101 a-101 n than for use you lowerpriority compute devices 101 a-101 n.

Thus, as discussed above, network use data for users of compute devices101 a-101 n can be periodically measured by the monitor module 201, andusers can be classified among different usage patterns by the useidentification module 207 (as described in FIG. 6) based on the usedata. The decision to classify current use by a particular user of acompute device 101 a-101 n can be dynamic and depend on networkconditions (e.g., using the dynamic thresholds). Network conditions as awhole are subject to change from moment to moment, as well as individualusage patterns. Thus, the thresholds can change as network conditionschange. The use identification module 207 can decide how to classify anyparticular usage pattern depending on use relative to other use on thecommunication network 105 based on the dynamic thresholds. Thus, a userof a compute device 101 a-101 n may be classified differently dependingon a combination of their own behavior combined with the networkconditions as a whole, and a priority level assigned to the user and/orthe compute device 101 a-101 n.

In some embodiments, two or more of the modules 201-209 of the bandwidthmanagement platform 200 shown and described with respect to FIG. 2 canbe combined. For example, in some embodiments, the use identificationmodule 207 and the rate limiting module 209 can be combined into asingle module. In such an example, the indication of the use categoryassigned to a compute device 101 a-101 n is not determined, sent and/orstored. Specifically, the combined module directly (e.g., withoutdefining an indication of the use category) limits and/or throttlesbandwidth based on comparing the usage values to the thresholds in amanner described above. For another example, the use calculation module205 can be included as part of the monitor module 201.

FIGS. 3-5 are flowcharts of processes for providing dynamic bandwidth,according to various embodiments. FIG. 3 shows a method 300 forallocating bandwidth based on a threshold value, according to anembodiment. At 301, the threshold calculation module 203 receives (e.g.,from monitor module 201) at a time T, a datum associated with use of anetwork (e.g., communication network 105) by a set of compute devices101 a-101 n using the communication network 105. The datum may include,for example, average bandwidth use by each compute device 101 a-101 n, ause profile identifier for a user, a bandwidth limit associated with auser of a compute device 101 a-101 n, and/or the like. The datum canalso include a number of compute devices 101 a-101 n from the set ofcompute devices. In some embodiments, a monitor module 201 monitors useof the communication network 105 for each compute device 101 a-101 nfrom the set of compute devices and can send the use data to thethreshold calculation module 203.

At 303, the threshold calculation module 203 calculates a thresholdvalue S1 based, at least in part, on the datum and a bandwidth capacityC of the communication network 105 at the time T. In some embodiments,the threshold value S1 can be based on data associated with a number ofcompute devices 101 a-101 n accessing the communication network 105 viathe gateway device 109, a number of compute devices 101 a-101 nclassified in a specific usage category (as described in further detailherein), a number of compute devices 101 a-101 n currently being ratelimited, a percentage of bandwidth used by compute devices 101 a-101 nclassified in one or more usage categories, a priority associated with acompute device 101 a-101 n (as described in further detail herein),and/or the like.

At 305, the use identification module 207 receives, a usage value Uassociated with bandwidth use of a compute device 101 a-101 n. The useidentification module 207 can receive the use value directly from eachcompute device 101 a-101 n, and/or from the use calculation module 205.The use value U can be associated with bandwidth use by the computedevice 101 a-101 n during a time period P1 immediately preceding thetime T. In some embodiments, the use identification module 207 can alsoreceive the threshold value S1 from the threshold calculation module203.

In some embodiments, a use calculation module 205 receives a signal(e.g., from a monitor module 201) associated with use of thecommunication network 105 by the compute device 101 a-101 n. The usecalculation module 205 can calculate the use value U based, at least inpart, on the signal associated with use of the communication network 105by the compute device 101 a-101 n. The use calculation module 205 cansend the use value U to the use identification module 207 to be used forcomparison, as described at step 307.

At 307, the use identification module 207 compares the use value U withthe threshold value S1 to determine a usage category associated with thecompute device 101 a-101 n, or for a user of the compute device 101a-101 n. As previously discussed with regards to FIG. 2, a usagecategory can be defined based on type of network use by a compute device101 a-101 n. For example, a first category can identify network trafficassociated with little or no bandwidth use during a time period, asecond category can identify short, relatively infrequent bursts thatuse a large amount of bandwidth for a short period of time, a thirdcategory can identify network traffic associated with continuous use ofrelatively low bandwidth, and a fourth category can identify networktraffic associated with high bandwidth use for a relatively longduration. In some embodiments, the use categories can be predefined.

At 309, the rate limiting module 209 receives an indication of the usagecategory from the use identification module 207, for a compute device101 a-101 n. The rate limiting module 209 can limit bandwidthavailability of the communication network 105 for the compute device 101a-101 n based on the indication. For example, if the compute device 101a-101 n is categorized in the second category (infrequent large amountsof bandwidth use), the rate limiting module 209 does not limit bandwidthuse of the compute device 101 a-101 n. For another example, if thecompute device 101 a-101 n is categorized in the fourth category(prolonged use of large amounts of bandwidth), the rate limiting module209 can limit bandwidth use of the compute device 101 a-101 n (e.g.,based on a rate calculated by the rate limiting module 209). The ratelimiting module 209 can limit bandwidth use of the communication network105 at time T for a number of compute devices 101 a-101 n from the setof compute devices included in the datum.

In some embodiments, the rate limiting module 209 can limit bandwidthuse of the communication network 105 for the compute device 101 a-101 nbased on various factors, in addition to the category indication. Forexample, the rate limiting module 209 can limit bandwidth based on apriority associated with the compute device 101 a-101 n (for example, ina device profile or user profile). The rate limiting module 209 can alsouse other data to limit bandwidth. For example, the rate limiting module209 can use number of compute devices 101 a-101 n from the set ofcompute devices and for which the rate limiting module 209 is limitingbandwidth use of the communication network 105 at time T and/or numberof compute devices 101 a-101 n from the set of compute devices and forwhich the rate limiting module 209 is not limiting bandwidth use of thecommunication network 105 at time T. The rate limiting module 209 canalso use various statistical analysis results provided by the usecalculation module 205 for limiting the bandwidth use such as, forexample, a ratio of a number of compute devices 101 a-101 n from the setof compute devices and for which the rate limiting module 209 islimiting bandwidth use of the communication network 105 at time T and anumber of compute devices 101 a-101 n from the set of compute devicesand for which the rate limiting module 209 is not limiting bandwidth useof the communication network 105 at time T.

In some embodiments, the threshold calculation module 203 can calculatea second threshold value S2 based, at least in part, on the datum andthe bandwidth capacity of the communication network 105 at time T. Insuch embodiments, the use identification module 207 receives the firstthreshold value S1 and the second threshold value S2 from the thresholdcalculation module 203. The use identification module 207 also receivesa use value associated with bandwidth use of the compute device 101a-101 n and associated with a second time period P2 immediatelypreceding time T (e.g., from the use calculation module 205). The useidentification module 207 can determine the usage category for thecompute device 101 a-101 n, or for a user of the compute device 101a-101 n, based on the first threshold S1, the second threshold S2, theuse value associated with the first time period P1, and the use valueassociated with the second time period P2.

FIG. 4 shows a method 400 for allocating bandwidth based on a usagecategory, according to one embodiment. At 401, the bandwidth managementplatform 200 (or a module therein) receives, at a time T1, a signalassociated with use of a communication network 105 by a compute device101 a-101 n associated with a user. The signal may include, for example,average bandwidth use by the compute device 101 a-101 n, a use profileidentifier for the user, a bandwidth limit associated with the user,etc.

At 403, the use calculation module 205 calculates a first usage value U1based, at least in part, on the signal associated with use of thecommunication network 105. The first usage value U1 is calculated basedon bandwidth use of the user for a first time period P1 immediatelypreceding time T1.

At 405, the use calculation module 205 calculates a second usage valueU2 based, at least in part, on the signal associated with use of thecommunication network 105. The second usage value U2 is calculated basedon bandwidth use of the user for a second time period P2 immediatelypreceding time T1. The first time period P1 is different from the secondtime period P2.

At 407, the use identification module 207 compares the first usage valueU1 and the second usage value U2 with a value of at least one thresholdY1 associated with use of the communication network 105 at time T1 (thethreshold value Y1 can be, for example, provided by the thresholdcalculation module 203). The use identification module 207 can determinea usage category associated with the user based on the comparison, asdescribed above with regards to step 307 of FIG. 3.

In some embodiments, the value of threshold Y1 can be calculated based,at least in part, on a bandwidth capacity of the communication network105. The value of threshold Y1 can also be calculated based on a numberof users using the communication network 105 and/or prioritiesassociated with those users.

In some embodiments, the threshold value calculated by the thresholdcalculation module 203 can be different at different times. For example,a value of the at least one threshold Y2 at a second time T2 after timeT1 can be different from the value of the at least one threshold Y1 attime T1. Because the bandwidth capacity of the communication network105, the number of users using the communication network 105, the users'priority and the users' category can dynamically change, a value of athreshold that is calculated based on the bandwidth capacity of thecommunication network 105, the number of users using the communicationnetwork 105, the users' priority and the users' category, can alsodynamically change.

In some embodiments, the threshold calculation module 203 calculates thevalue of the at least one threshold Y1 (or Y2) based, at least in part,on a number of users using the communication network 105, for whichbandwidth use of the communication network 105 is being limited at timeT1 (or T2) and/or a number of users using the communication network 105for which bandwidth use of the communication network 105 is not beinglimited at time T1 (or T2). For example, the threshold calculationmodule 203 can calculate a threshold value based on a ratio of a numberof users using the communication network 105, for which bandwidth use ofthe communication network 105 is being limited at time T1 (or T2) and anumber of users using the communication network 105 for which bandwidthuse of the communication network 105 is not being limited at time T1 (orT2).

At 409, the bandwidth management platform 200 sends a signal (e.g., to arate limiting module 209) to limit bandwidth use of the user (e.g., acompute device 101 a-101 n associated with the user) of thecommunication network 105 for a time period P3 after time T based, atleast in part, on the usage category and the threshold Y1 (and/or Y2).In some embodiments, the signal to limit bandwidth use can beadditionally based on a priority associated with the user or associatedwith the compute device 101 a-101 n (for example, identified in a deviceprofile or user profile).

FIG. 5 shows a method 500 for allocating bandwidth based on a thresholdand a use value, according to an embodiment. At 501, the bandwidthmanagement platform 200 receives, at a first time, a first datumassociated with use of a communication network 105 by a set of computedevices 101 a-101 n. The first datum may include, for example, averagebandwidth use by each compute device 101 a-101 n, a use profileidentifier for a user of a compute device 101 a-101 n, a bandwidth limitassociated with a user of a compute device 101 a-101 n, etc. The firstdatum can also include a number of compute devices 101 a-101 n from theset of compute devices.

At 503, the threshold calculation module 203 calculates a firstthreshold value based, at least in part, on the first datum and abandwidth capacity of the communication network 105 at the first time.The first datum can include a number of compute devices 101 a-101 n fromthe set of compute devices using the communication network 105 and/orany other data associated with bandwidth use of the network, asdescribed above.

At 505, the bandwidth management platform 200 receives a first usagevalue associated with bandwidth use of the communication network 105 ofa compute device 101 a-101 n from the set of compute devices for a timeperiod immediately preceding the first time. The bandwidth managementplatform 200 can determine a limitation for bandwidth use based on thedata received and the values received and/or calculated at steps501-505.

At 507, the bandwidth management platform 200 sends, at a second timeafter the first time a signal to limit bandwidth use in thecommunication network 105 of the compute device 101 a-101 n based, atleast in part, on the first threshold and the first usage value. Thesignal to limit bandwidth use can limit bandwidth use based, at least inpart, on a priority associated with the compute device 101 a-101 n. Insome embodiments, the first datum can include a number of computedevices 101 a-101 n from the set of compute devices for which the signalto limit bandwidth use is limiting bandwidth use of the communicationnetwork 105 at the first time.

At 509, the bandwidth management platform 200 receives, at a third timeafter the second time a second datum associated with use of thecommunication network 105 by the set of compute devices using thecommunication network 105. At 511, the threshold calculation module 203calculates a second threshold value based, at least in part, on thesecond datum and a bandwidth capacity of the communication network 105at the third time. The second threshold value is different from thefirst threshold value.

At 513, the bandwidth management platform 200 receives a second usagevalue associated with bandwidth use of the communication network 105 ofthe compute device 101 a-101 n from the set of compute devices for atime period immediately preceding the second time. In some embodiments,the time period immediately preceding the first time can have a durationsubstantially equal to the duration of the time period immediatelypreceding the second time. The time period immediately preceding thefirst time can be different from the time period immediately precedingthe second time. Similarly, the second usage value can be substantiallyequal to the first usage value.

In some embodiments, the bandwidth management platform 200 can determinenot to limit bandwidth use for a compute device 101 a-101 n. At 515, thebandwidth management platform 200 sends, at a fourth time after thethird time a signal to not limit bandwidth use in the communicationnetwork 105 of the compute device 101 a-101 n based, at least in part,on the second threshold and the second usage value. The components201-209 of the bandwidth management platform 200 can store receiveddata, calculated values, etc. in the data store 213. Thus, because thesecond usage value is substantially equal to the first usage value, thedecision to rate limit the compute device 101 a-101 n at the second timebut not at the fourth time is based on the dynamic threshold changingbased on the characteristics of the network.

In some embodiments, the threshold calculation module 203 calculate thefirst threshold value based, at least in part, on a number of computedevices 101 a-101 n from the set of compute devices for which bandwidthuse of the communication network 105 is being limited at the first time,and/or a number of compute devices 101 a-101 n from the set of computedevices for which bandwidth use of the communication network 105 is notbeing limited at the first time. For example, the threshold calculationmodule 203 can calculate the first threshold based, at least in part, ona ratio of (1) a number of compute devices 101 a-101 n from the set ofcompute devices for which bandwidth use of the communication network 105is being limited at the first time, and (2) a number of compute devices101 a-101 n from the set of compute devices for which bandwidth use ofthe communication network 105 is not being limited at the first time.

While the methods 300, 400, 500 shown and described in FIGS. 3-5 areshown as having a “start” and an-end″, in some embodiments, the methods300, 400, 500 illustrate a one or more iterations of a periodic and/orcontinuous process. For example, after the method 300 of FIG. 3 limitsbandwidth use of the network for the compute device based on the usagecategory at 309, the method 300 can return to step 301 and perform themethod 300 to further assess the compute device and its usage categoryat a subsequent time. For another example, method 500 of FIG. 5illustrates two iterations of a process. In the first iteration and atstep 507, the bandwidth of the compute device is limited. In the seconditeration and at step 515, the bandwidth of the compute device is notlimited. Such iterations can continuously and/or periodically reassessthe bandwidth use of a compute device, the total amount of bandwidthbeing used by the network, the amount of bandwidth available, and/or thelike.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram of dynamic bandwidth allocation,according to an embodiment. The graph of FIG. 6 shows a number ofvarious usage patterns as previously described. In the example of FIG.6, the uses 601 and 603 are associated by compute devices that are beingthrottled dynamically as they exhibit prolonged high-bandwidth usebehavior. For example, use 601 can be related to initializing a videostream that is being limited affecting download speed but not the actualviewing of the stream. The usage pattern 603 can be related to a moviedownload. In some embodiments, limiting use 603 can affect the speed ofthe download.

Limiting uses 601 and 603, allows the bandwidth management platform 200to allocate higher levels of bandwidth to compute devices with uses 605and 607. Thus, the compute devices associated with uses 605 and 607 canexperience a higher level of performance than they would have had if theuses 601 and 603 were not limited. Use 605, for example, can representvideo calls (e.g., Skype calls) and basic network monitoring tools andwill not be affected by the bandwidth limitations. Use 607 can representbursting and/or streaming traffic that can remain unaffected bybandwidth limitations because bulk traffic has been limited. As aresult, users browsing the web and checking e-mail can continue toexperience fast response times during heavy traffic periods, real-timeand streaming data such as audio and video are not interrupted, andlower priority usage patterns such as transferring large files andpeer-to-peer file sharing for a few users may take longer in order toaccommodate a majority of users browsing the web and checking e-mail. Asa consequence of this dynamic bandwidth management control, the overallnetwork experience is enhanced for users while network resources arereserved for high-priority users and mission-critical systems.

Embodiments described herein discuss a bandwidth management platform 103that can limit bandwidth between a compute device 101 a-101 n and acommunication network 105. Note that in some embodiments, the bandwidthmanagement platform 103 can limit data traffic sent from a computedevice 101 a-101 n to communication network 105 (upstream traffic)and/or data traffic received from communication network and destined tothe compute device 101 a-101 n (downstream traffic). In someembodiments, for example, the upstream traffic can be independentlymonitored and controlled from the downstream traffic. For example,referring to FIG. 2, the monitor module 201 can separately monitor theupstream traffic and the downstream traffic associated with a computedevice 101 a-101 n. Similarly, the threshold calculation module 203(FIG. 2) can calculate different thresholds for the upstream traffic andthe downstream traffic of a network. For yet another example, the ratelimiting module 209 can rate limit the downstream traffic of a computedevice 101 a-101 n without rate limiting the upstream traffic of thatcompute device 101 a-101 n.

While the bandwidth management platform 103 of FIG. 1 is shown anddescribed as being between a LAN 107 and a communication network 105, inother embodiments the bandwidth management platform can becommunicatively positioned between any two devices or groups of devices.Similarly stated, the bandwidth management platform can be placed in thecommunication path between any two devices or groups of devices. Forexample, in some embodiments, the bandwidth management platform can bepositioned between two disparate and separate communication networks.For another example, the bandwidth management platform can be embeddedin a single communication network that has been configured such that thedata traffic between a specific compute device passes through thebandwidth management platform.

It is intended that the methods and apparatus described herein can beperformed by software (executed on hardware), hardware, or a combinationthereof. Hardware modules can include, for example, a general-purposeprocessor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC). Software modules (executed onhardware) can be expressed in a variety of software languages (e.g.,computer code), including C, C++, Java™, Ruby, Visual Basic, and otherobject-oriented, procedural, or other programming language anddevelopment tools. Examples of computer code include, but are notlimited to, micro-code or micro-instructions, machine instructions, suchas, for example, produced by a compiler, code used to produce a webservice, and files containing higher-level instructions that areexecuted by a computer using an interpreter. Additional examples ofcomputer code include, but are not limited to, control signals,encrypted code, and compressed code.

Some embodiments described herein relate to a computer storage productwith a non-transitory computer-readable medium (also can be referred toas a non-transitory processor-readable medium) having instructions orcomputer code thereon for performing various computer-implementedoperations. The computer-readable medium (or processor-readable medium)is non-transitory in the sense that it does not include transitorypropagating signals per se (e.g., a propagating electromagnetic wavecarrying information on a transmission medium such as, for example,space or a cable). The media and computer code (also can be referred toas code) can be those designed and constructed for the specific purposeor purposes. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include,but are not limited to, magnetic storage media such as, for example,hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical storage media suchas, for example, Compact Disc/Digital Video Discs (CD/DVDs), CompactDisc-Read Only Memories (CD-ROMs), and holographic devices;magneto-optical storage media such as, for example, optical disks;carrier wave signal processing modules; and hardware devices that arespecially configured to store and execute program code, such as, forexample, Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), ProgrammableLogic Devices (PLDs), Read-Only Memory (ROM) and Random-Access Memory(RAM) devices. Other embodiments described herein relate to a computerprogram product, which can include, for example, the instructions and/orcomputer code discussed herein.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. Where methods and steps described above indicate certainevents occurring in certain order, the ordering of certain steps can bemodified. Additionally, certain steps can be performed concurrently in aparallel process when possible, as well as performed sequentially asdescribed above. Although various embodiments have been described ashaving particular features and/or combinations of components, otherembodiments are possible having any combination or sub-combination ofany features and/or components from any of the embodiments describedherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a computer system comprisingone or more processors programmed with computer instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the computer system to: determine, for a first timeperiod, an amount of aggregated bandwidth consumption for a set ofcomputing devices on a network; determine, for the first time period, anamount of available bandwidth on the network; determine a ratio of theamount of aggregated bandwidth consumption to the amount of availablebandwidth; determine, based on the ratio, a bandwidth threshold; and seta rate limit for upstream traffic of a first computing device of the setof computing devices based on a comparison of the bandwidth threshold tobandwidth consumption of the first computing device, the bandwidthconsumption comprising an upstream bandwidth consumption associated withupstream traffic of the first computing device.
 2. The system of claim1, wherein setting the rate limit for upstream traffic of the firstcomputing device comprises: classifying the first computing device basedon the comparison of the bandwidth threshold to the bandwidthconsumption of the first computing device; and setting the rate limitfor upstream traffic of the first computing device based on theclassification of the first computing device.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the computer system is caused to: determine a second bandwidththreshold; determine first bandwidth consumption of the first computingdevice for the first time period; and determine second bandwidthconsumption of the first computing device for a second time period ofdifferent length than the first time period, wherein setting the ratelimit for upstream traffic of the first computing device comprisessetting the rate limit for upstream traffic of the first computingdevice based on (i) a comparison of the bandwidth threshold to at leastone of the first bandwidth consumption or the second bandwidthconsumption and (ii) a comparison of the second bandwidth threshold toat least a different one of the first bandwidth consumption or thesecond bandwidth consumption.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein thefirst time period is greater in length than the second time period. 5.The system of claim 3, wherein the second time period is greater inlength than the first time period.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein thecomputer system is caused to set another rate limit for downstreamtraffic of the first computing device based on the comparison of thebandwidth threshold to the bandwidth consumption of the first computingdevice.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is causedto: determine a downstream bandwidth consumption of the first computingdevice, the downstream bandwidth consumption being associated withdownstream traffic of the first computing device, the bandwidthconsumption of the first computing device comprising the downstreambandwidth consumption of the first computing device; and set anotherrate limit for downstream traffic of the first computing device based ona comparison of the bandwidth threshold to the downstream bandwidthconsumption of the first computing device.
 8. One or morenon-transitory, computer-readable media storing machine-readableinstructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause theone or more processors to perform operations comprising: determining anamount of aggregated bandwidth consumption for a set of computingdevices on a network; determining an amount of available bandwidth onthe network; determining a ratio of the amount of aggregated bandwidthconsumption to the amount of available bandwidth; determining, based onthe ratio, a bandwidth threshold; determining first bandwidthconsumption of a first computing device of the set of computing devicesthat is measured for a first time period; determining second bandwidthconsumption of the first computing device that is measured for a secondtime period of different length than the first time period; and settinga rate limit for upstream traffic of the first computing device based ona comparison of the bandwidth threshold to at least one of the firstbandwidth consumption or the second bandwidth consumption, each of thefirst and second bandwidth consumption comprising an upstream bandwidthconsumption associated with upstream traffic of the first computingdevice.
 9. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media ofclaim 8, wherein the operations comprises setting the rate limit forupstream traffic of the first computing device based on (i) a comparisonof the bandwidth threshold to the first bandwidth consumption and (ii) acomparison of the second bandwidth threshold to the second bandwidthconsumption.
 10. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable mediaof claim 8, wherein setting the rate limit for upstream traffic of thefirst computing device comprises: classifying the first computing devicebased on the comparison of the bandwidth threshold to at least one ofthe first bandwidth consumption or the second bandwidth consumption; andsetting the rate limit for upstream traffic of the first computingdevice based on the classification of the first computing device. 11.The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 8,wherein the operations comprises setting another rate limit fordownstream traffic of the first computing device based on the comparisonof the bandwidth threshold to at least one of the first bandwidthconsumption or the second bandwidth consumption.
 12. The one or morenon-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein theoperations further comprise: determining a first downstream bandwidthconsumption of the first computing device that is measured for the firsttime period, the first downstream bandwidth consumption being associatedwith downstream traffic of the first computing device during the firsttime period; determining a second downstream bandwidth consumption ofthe first computing device that is measured for the second time period,the first downstream bandwidth consumption being associated withdownstream traffic of the first computing device during the second timeperiod; and setting another rate limit for downstream traffic of thefirst computing device based on a comparison of the bandwidth thresholdto at least one of the first downstream bandwidth consumption or thesecond downstream bandwidth consumption.
 13. A method comprising:determining, by one or more processors, for a first time period, anamount of aggregated bandwidth consumption for a set of computingdevices on a network; determining, by one or more processors, for thefirst time period, an amount of available bandwidth on the network;determining, by one or more processors, a ratio of the amount ofaggregated bandwidth consumption to the amount of available bandwidth;determining, by one or more processors, based on the ratio, a bandwidththreshold; classifying, by one or more processors, a first computingdevice of the set of computing devices based on a comparison of thebandwidth threshold to bandwidth consumption of the first computingdevice, the bandwidth consumption comprising an upstream bandwidthconsumption associated with upstream traffic of the first computingdevice; and setting, by one or more processors, a rate limit forupstream traffic of the first computing device based on theclassification of the first computing device.
 14. The method of claim13, further comprising: determining a second bandwidth threshold;determining first bandwidth consumption of the first computing devicefor the first time period; and determining second bandwidth consumptionof the first computing device for a second time period of differentlength than the first time period, wherein classifying the firstcomputing device comprises classifying the first computing device basedon (i) a comparison of the bandwidth threshold to at least one of thefirst bandwidth consumption or the second bandwidth consumption and (ii)a comparison of the second bandwidth threshold to at least a differentone of the first bandwidth consumption or the second bandwidthconsumption.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: determininga downstream bandwidth consumption of the first computing device, thedownstream bandwidth consumption being associated with downstreamtraffic of the first computing device, the bandwidth consumption of thefirst computing device comprising the downstream bandwidth consumptionof the first computing device, wherein classifying the first computingdevice comprises classifying the first computing device based on acomparison of the bandwidth threshold to the downstream bandwidthconsumption of the first computing device.